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World Series: Cardinals’ greatest strength could also be weakness: Griffin

The youth and energy that has served the Cardinals so well thus far in the post-season could prove to be a liability in the pressure-packed atmosphere of the Fall Classic.

Cardinals manager Mike Matheny, centre, is one of the rare big-league bench bosses who had never coached or managed in pro ball prior to taking the reins in St. Louis in 2012. (Scott Rovak / USA Today Sports)

Over the next three days, up until the opening game of the World Series on Wednesday night, we’ll take a look at the two contending teams — first, the St. Louis Cardinals, followed by the Boston Red Sox — and then preview the Fall Classic itself.

The Cardinals are returning to the World Series for the first time since 2011 and the fourth time this century. They lost to the Red Sox in 2004, beat the Detroit Tigers in 2006 and bested the Texas Rangers in 2011, the last rodeo in the Gateway City for manager Tony La Russa and first baseman Albert Pujols.

Cardinals’ strengths

In a seven-game World Series, with just four starters required, the Cards’ top two guys — right-handers Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha — will be able to pitch twice each. Wainwright is a seasoned stud, Wacha the feel-good story of the post-season. The 22-year-old rookie is 3-0 this post-season with a 0.57 ERA, and was named MVP of the NL championship series.

Catcher Yadier Molina is a potential regular-season MVP and right fielder Carlos Beltran, who will be making his first World Series appearance at age 36, has established a Babe Ruthian post-season career. The Cards are young and energetic and have a young closer with special talents in 22-year-old Trevor Rosenthal, who throws almost exclusively fastballs between 97 and 101 m.p.h.

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Weaknesses

Energy and exuberance also brings with it rookie mistakes, usually ones of commission, in the pressure cooker of the World Series. The loss of starting first baseman Allen Craig has not been felt yet, but cue the Jaws theme music as we wait for Matt Adams to make a game-changing gaffe in the World Series. Craig seems prepared to DH when the Series starts, but his time away from game action makes his contributions questionable.

The shortstop position is not strong with Pete Kozma and Daniel Descalso, but don’t forget David Eckstein was the Series MVP in 2006 for the Cardinals.

The Cards’ 3-4 starters, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly, have been mediocre in their post-season outings, averaging just over five innings per start. The Red Sox can drive up pitch counts and getting to the Cards’ middle relief early could potentially be a problem.

Front-office team

The Cardinals’ GM is 44-year-old John Mozeliak. The manager is 43-year-old Mike Matheny. The payroll on opening day was $116,790,787 (according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts).

Mozeliak joined the organization as an assistant in scouting in 1995 and rose to be one of former GM Walt Jocketty’s top assistants, taking over when Jocketty left to join the Reds. He has led the Cardinals to one World Series title and three pennants.

Matheny is a rarity in that when he took over the team in 2012, he had never coached or managed in professional baseball. A former Gold Glove catcher, he played 13 seasons in the majors (1994-2006) with Milwaukee, Toronto, St. Louis and San Francisco. Matheny was forced to retire partially because of the effects of concussions caused by collisions and jarring foul tips. He is a proponent of banning violent collisions at the plate between runners and catchers.

The fans and city

Among baseball cities in North America, St. Louis must be considered one of the top five. During all playoffs, all storefronts in downtown St. Louis sport Cardinal-red themes. Famous landmark: the Gateway Arch.

The fans at Busch Stadium are knowledgeable and fair. They applaud great plays even by an opponent and love their players, both present and past. For example, when former Cards second baseman Skip Schumaker returned to St. Louis as a member of the Dodgers, he was welcomed like a prodigal son. Even Dodgers hitting coach Mark McGwire was welcomed warmly.

Canadian connections

The only Canadian on the roster is 30-year-old reliever John Axford. The tall right-hander was obtained from the Brewers on Aug. 30, 2013 as an experienced setup man, even though he was a closer with Milwaukee. Born in Simcoe, Ont., and raised in nearby Port Dover, he played a little ball in the Intercounty League and at Notre Dame and Canisius College, before being signed by the Brewers after a tryout at the Baseball Zone in Mississauga.

Matheny played for the Blue Jays in 1999 and returned to Toronto with his son for the Brendan Shanahan hockey tournament at York University while he was still an active player. His daughter is currently a scholarship hockey player.

The other Canadian connection is former Cy Young winner and post-season stud Chris Carpenter, a first-round draft pick of the Jays in 1993 who was set free as an injured free agent following the 2002 season. He is injured and relegated to cheerleader for the World Series, but seems to receive a lot of air time.

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